Item handling systems, such as mailpiece handling systems, for example, are known in the art. These systems include inserter systems, which create mailpieces and prepare them for mailing, as well as sorter systems, which sort completed mailpieces and direct the mailpieces to storage bins. Other types of item handling systems and related applications are known.
Inserter machines are used to create mailpieces for many different applications. Inserters contain a generally modular array of components to carry out the various processes associated with mailpiece creation. The processes include preparing documents, assembling the documents associated with a given mailpiece, adding any designated inserts, stuffing the assembly into an envelope, and printing information on the envelope.
Some inserter applications utilize ink jet printers to print the information, such as address information, advertisements, and/or a postal indicia, for example, on the face of the envelopes being processes. In those applications, which involve ink jet printing on a moving envelope, both the distance of the printer assembly from the envelope and the planarity of the printer assembly with respect to the plane of the envelope may affect the image quality. As used herein, “planarity” means the extent to which two planes are parallel. The distance and planarity of the printer assembly may have a greater effect on print quality in systems utilizing multiple print heads, such as different color print heads, for example.
Problems arising from variable distance and planarity are principally attributed to the relative low velocity of the ink droplets, as compared to the velocity of the media (e.g., envelopes). Any non-planarity of the printer assembly with respect to the moving media will result in different travel times for the ink drops that create a printed image on the media, resulting in image distortion. Any variation in distance from the design distance of the print head assembly with respect to the moving media will result in different size ink drops on the paper, resulting in image quality degradation.